Erich Reich
Encyclopedia
Sir Erich Arieh Reich is an Austria
n-born entrepreneur based in London, who through his charity challenges company Classic Tours has inspired over 42,000 people to raise £60million for 300+ UK charities.
to Poland
. Under the Kindertransport
agreement, he arrived in the United Kingdom
, aged 4, in August 1939, one of 10,000 children. He never saw his parents again, who were murdered in Auschwitz. Initially placed with a foster family in Dorking
, Surrey
, he moved to a Jewish school in North London
. Aged 13 he emigrated to the new state of Israel
in 1948.
, where by 1970 he was Operations Director. He then joined Thomas Cook
, where by 1979 he was Managing Director of tour operations.
In 1987 he set up Classic Tours, a charity fundraising company that specialises in activity-based global travel In 2004, Reich had a complaint upheld by OfCom
, over a report by the BBC1's Watchdog
programme into Classic Tours.
, from Dan in the north of Israel to Beersheba
, Israel. The eventual trip in November 1992 had 230 participants, and raised £600,000.
The sum raised and the enthusiasm it created resulted in Classic Tours being approached by other charities to undertake similar events. Classic Tours now operates more than 100 events each year, offering events based on activities as varied as trekking, mountain climbing and horse riding. The events are arranged as either bespoke challenges for specific charities, consortiums with groups of charities, and open challenges available for anyone to join. The events in 17years of operations have inspired more than 42,000 people to raise £60m via overseas trips.
In 2008, as chairman of the Association of Jewish Refugees
' Kindertransport group, he organised celebrations marking 70 years since Parliament allowed the Jewish youngsters into Britain.
for his charitable contributions in the 2010 New Year Honours.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born entrepreneur based in London, who through his charity challenges company Classic Tours has inspired over 42,000 people to raise £60million for 300+ UK charities.
Early life
Reich was born in 1935. In 1938, he was one of the children of 5,000 families deported by Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Under the Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
agreement, he arrived in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, aged 4, in August 1939, one of 10,000 children. He never saw his parents again, who were murdered in Auschwitz. Initially placed with a foster family in Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, he moved to a Jewish school in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. Aged 13 he emigrated to the new state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1948.
Career
Reich returned to London in 1967, working for Thomson HolidaysThomson Holidays
Thomson Holidays is a UK based travel operator and part of TUI Travel PLC. The company was founded as part of the Thomson Travel Group in 1965 following the acquisition of three package holiday travel agencies and the airline Britannia Airways by Roy Thomson...
, where by 1970 he was Operations Director. He then joined Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook Group plc is a travel company created on 19 June, 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc. At flotation on the London Stock Exchange 52% of the shares in the new company were held by the German mail order and department store corporation Arcandor and 48% owned by...
, where by 1979 he was Managing Director of tour operations.
In 1987 he set up Classic Tours, a charity fundraising company that specialises in activity-based global travel In 2004, Reich had a complaint upheld by OfCom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
, over a report by the BBC1's Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
programme into Classic Tours.
Charity
In 1992, Reich proposed a fund raising bicycle ride, to raise funds for the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society and Ravenswood, a Jewish home for the disabled. The original proposal was for 50 people to ride the 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) northern section of the newly opened Israel National TrailIsrael National Trail
The Israel National Trail, is a hiking path that crosses the entire country of Israel. Its northern end is at Dan, near the Lebanese border in the far north of the country, and it extends to Eilat at the southernmost tip of Israel on the Red Sea, a length of approximately 940 km...
, from Dan in the north of Israel to Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
, Israel. The eventual trip in November 1992 had 230 participants, and raised £600,000.
The sum raised and the enthusiasm it created resulted in Classic Tours being approached by other charities to undertake similar events. Classic Tours now operates more than 100 events each year, offering events based on activities as varied as trekking, mountain climbing and horse riding. The events are arranged as either bespoke challenges for specific charities, consortiums with groups of charities, and open challenges available for anyone to join. The events in 17years of operations have inspired more than 42,000 people to raise £60m via overseas trips.
In 2008, as chairman of the Association of Jewish Refugees
Association of Jewish Refugees
The Association of Jewish Refugees is the specialist nationwide social and welfare services agency representing and supporting Jewish victims of Nazi oppression, and their dependants and descendants, living in Great Britain.-Historical overview:...
' Kindertransport group, he organised celebrations marking 70 years since Parliament allowed the Jewish youngsters into Britain.
Personal life
Reich is currently married to Linda Haase, and has five grown children from previous marriages.Awards
Reich was recognised with an outstanding contribution award at the 2008 Professional Fundraising Awards. He was knightedKnight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
for his charitable contributions in the 2010 New Year Honours.